Automated banking machines are known in the prior art. A popular type of automated banking machine is an automated teller machine (ATM). Other types of automated banking machines are used to count and dispense cash. These machines are often used by tellers or customer service representatives in banking and other transaction environments.
ATM machines commonly in use accept deposits from customers and process the deposits using devices which are separate from the devices which dispense currency and other items to customers. Most common ATM depositories require customers to place their deposits in an envelope. The envelope is accepted into the machine for storage. Although the customer is indicates the value of the contents of the envelope, the customer's account is often not credited for the amount of deposit until the envelope is removed from the ATM by bank personnel and the contents verified.
Other ATM machines have the capability of receiving checks and other negotiable instruments. Such machines may include a device such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,467. Devices of this type can be used to cancel and produce electronic images of checks which are deposited into an ATM machine. The cancelled checks are stored in the machine for later removal by bank personnel.
Currency notes, travelers checks and other documents and sheet materials that are commonly dispensed by ATMs, are generally housed in the machine in removable canisters. Sheets are dispensed from the canisters and delivered by the machine to customers. Periodically these canisters must be removed from the machine and the supply of sheets therein replenished. This is a labor intensive activity. To replace the canisters the secure portion of the ATM must be opened. The canisters in the machine must be removed and new canisters, which include a new supply of sheets, placed in the machine. Alternatively the canisters in the machine may be opened, money or other sheets added, and then replaced. After the canisters are replaced the secure portion of the machine must be closed.
The replacement or resupply of canisters often requires transporting filled canisters to the machine and returning partially depleted canisters to a remote location. While efforts have been made in the design of canisters to minimize opportunities for pilferage, there is always some risk Therefore such activities are normally carried out by armed couriers. More than one person is often assigned to any task where there is access to the cash or other valuables in the machine. Because numerous individuals may be involved in loading replacement canisters, transporting replacement canisters to ATM machines, replacing the canisters, returning the removed canisters and auditing the contents of returned canisters, it is often difficult to identify the cause of any losses.
The need to periodically replace currency canisters is an inconvenience because the ATM must be shut down. Customers are not able to use the ATM while the supply of currency is being replenished, and lost opportunities to conduct transactions and customer dissatisfaction may result Customers will also be disappointed if replenishment operations are not performed frequently enough and the machine runs out of currency or other documents.
Other types of automated banking machines, such as those that dispense cash to customer service representatives, have the same drawbacks as ATM machines. Periodic replenishment of the currency or other valuable documents that are dispensed by the machine must be done to keep the machine in operation. While such machines speed the cash dispensing service to the customer, there is a significant cost associated with segregating, preparing and transporting the currency before it is placed within the machine.
Other banking machines have been developed for identifying and counting currency. Such machines may be used in banking and vending environments. Machines which count currency generally require that the currency be pre-oriented a particular way to obtain proper identification. This is time consuming for the person operating the machine. Many currency counting machines also tend to reject valid notes due to natural deterioration which occurs in U.S. currency. The speed associated with such currency counting and accepting machines is also less than desirable in many cases.
Automated banking machines which are capable of receiving currency, identifying the particular type and denomination of currency, storing the currency and later dispensing it to a customer have been used in countries outside the United States. Such recycling machines are feasible in countries such as Japan where currency notes include special features which facilitate their identification by machines. However, such recycling machines have not generally been feasible with U.S. currency notes which generally do not include special features that facilitate identification by machine. U.S. currency notes also are subject to a wide range of conditions such as wear, soiling and bleaching which do not render a note unfit for use, but which render it very difficult for a machine to properly identify.
The currency recycling type banking machines that have been developed also generally suffer from slow operating speeds. This is particularly true when the machines are used to process a large number of notes. Often such machines require that the notes be oriented in a particular way and considerable time is associated with the rejection of notes due to improper orientation. The handling of the sheets to facilitate identification and storage is also a time consuming process. Once a sheet has been initially identified as proper and stored in the machine, there is generally no check to be sure that the original determination of the type and character of the note was correct. As a result, a customer may receive a misidentified note. This can reduce customer satisfaction.
In the operation of current automated banking machines it is not uncommon for operators to add cash to currency canisters without counting the notes remaining in the canister. This is often done to save time particularly where the operator of the machine does not wish to transport the canisters to a remote location for reloading. ATMs may run for an extended period of time without an actual count of the number of notes in a canister. Often when an accounting is actually taken discrepancies are noted between the number of notes remaining in the canister and the number that would be expected to be present based on the amount of currency that the machine has dispensed. In these situations it is often difficult to determine if the cause of the problem is pilferage, a miscalculation of the amount inserted into the canister during one of the reloading procedures or errors in dispensing by the machine. Generally in these situations it is not possible to determine the cause of the discrepancy.
Currency canisters also may be configured to dispense different types of documents. Some types of documents may require for example variations in the biasing force which move the documents outward to engage the picker mechanism. Currently if a canister has been modified to accommodate a particular type of document the information must be visibly marked on the canister so that it is not used for other documents.
The document dispensing canisters also are required to undergo periodic maintenance. Such maintenance may involve replacing certain parts on the canister that tend to wear out as documents are picked. Generally maintenance is recommended after a certain number of cycles. However when canisters are moved between various machines there is no way of knowing exactly how many cycles a particular canister has experienced since preventive maintenance has been performed. As a result preventive maintenance may be conducted more frequently than necessary or may not be performed in a timely fashion. In either event unnecessary costs may result.
Canisters are also occasionally modified so as to improve their performance. Such modifications which are often referred to as upgrades may involve changing components which are not readily visible to a person who handles the canister. Currently the only way to indicate that a canister has been upgraded to an improved level is to physically mark the canister in a manner which is readily visible to an individual handling it. Canister upgrades may also result in changes in performance or operation of the canister. As a result the properties of an ATM machine in which a canister is installed may need to be modified to accommodate canister upgrades. If a population of canisters includes those with and without the upgrades complications may arise because certain ATM machines may not be suitable for accepting upgraded canisters while others may not be able to use canisters which have not been upgraded.
Thus there exists a need for a currency recycling automated banking machine that is more reliable, operates more quickly, and which can be used with U.S. and other currencies which have a wide range of properties. There further exists a need for an automated banking machine and system which includes self-auditing capabilities and which can be used to indicate when there is a discrepancy between an amount which is indicated as having been placed in a canister at a remote location and the amount which arrives at the machine. There further exists a need for an automated banking machine in which the canisters indicate to the machine the current configuration level of the canisters and which track the use of the canisters to provide an indication of when preventative maintenance is to be performed.